Ghost Town

Sunday 12^th July; King’s Norton to Dudley Port Junction (Netherton tunnel branch).

I went up to the Co-op before breakfast to be sure of getting our Sunday paper before it sold out.  The weather was an odd mixture of warm sun and chilly wind, but not so cold we couldn’t have the side hatch open.  Over breakfast, we were startled by a sharp and repeated tapping on the side of the boat – these little vistors, having caught me brushing the crumbs off the breadboard yesterday lunchtime, wanted a repeat performance.

We set off just after 9.30 and cruised gently towards Birmingham.  We are not in a rush and all our electronics need charging too.  Yesterday the canal was quite busy with hire boats going back to their bases, and this morning there was another batch.  At King’s Norton Junction, the toll house is being repaired after the arson attack – was that last year or the year before?

We used to moor at Selly Oak to top up the store cupboards in Sainsbury’s, but since they moved further along the main road it has been a bit of a trek.  We didn’t need any shopping but were keen to see if any mooring had been created at the back of the new one, which may one day be at the junction with the restored Lapal canal, I think.

There are now steps accessible from the towpath, but no new moorings have been provided.  However there is a bit of Armco further along which looks suitable.

A possible mooring for shopping

We stopped at Holliday Wharf to empty a cassette, then rounded the Mailbox corner.  It was spookily quiet – at midday you would expect all the restaurants and bars at the Mailbox to be busy and thronging with people, but most appeared to still be closed.  There was not a single boat moored on the stretch towards Gas Street Basin.

Eerily quiet

The canalside restaurant at Worcester Bar had put up a wooden fence to keep their tables separated from the towpath, but still had all its tables cheek-by-jowl – it hasn’t re-opened yet.

On under Broad Street, past the Sea Life Centre which looked closed and the Lego place which didn’t.  There were a few boats moored on the Arena side and up near Sherborne wharf, and I guess the boats which passed us this morning were probably moored opposite the Arena.  At the Distillery (which used to be the Fiddle and Bone) some socially distanced ordering was taking place.

In spite of the ample mooring we had already decided to give Birmingham a miss this time, even though we usually stay a couple of nights.  Why take an unecessary risk?  The new housing at the Icknield Port Loop is still going up, not very attractive in my view; people have to live somewhere  but can’t they have somewhere more attractive?

Little boxes

Nearby CRT were working on towpath improvements.  They all waved cheerily, I think they were just glad to be out, like us.  We loved the artwork on their boat.

We enjoyed cruising in this lovely weather, even though we have done this stretch many times.  A heron posed for me on one of the high bridges.

Gradually the steering became less responsive and it seemed a weed hatch visit would be necessary.  We pulled in on the rings at the Smethwick Pumping Station where Wayne, who has adopted this stretch of the BCN, was scrubbing graffiti off the wall.

He came over to chat as Dave fished out the usual debris, about 50/50 plastic and weed.  Wayne said he had come from the Black Country Museum moorings recently and the weed was so bad it took him two and a half hours to get to Factory Locks – it’s less than a mile.  We had lunch before we set off again.  There were no boats to be seen crossing the aqueduct, but we were more interested in the illuminated signs

on the M5 high above.  On the other side there was a changing display on children’s rainbow artwork.

On we went, enjoying the occasional sight of small fluffies – that’s something we had not seen all year till we came back on the water.

We turned down the Netherton tunnel branch to moor for the night.  The sun was shining, the birds singing, occasional passers-by greeting us as they walked by, peace and quiet – lovely.  People seem to be a lot more smiley than usual we have found – perhaps they are all glad to see the boats back?  One or two have said as much.
 

Netherton Tunnel Branch

12 miles, Edgbaston and Broad Street tunnels, one trip down the weed hatch.